by Jon Partridge
2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Aliens. That’s 30 years to solidify its reputation as one of the greatest sequels ever made. The original Alien was a horror masterpiece, and James Cameron’s followup preserved much of the identity of the classic while introducing a memorable blast of action. To celebrate, Fox has another new Blu-ray release. So, is it worth a buy or is it a face…cash grab?
ALIENS Synopsis
James Cameron directed this critically acclaimed sequel starring Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo’s deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien. After drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years, Ripley returns to Earth, haunted by nightmares of the past. Although her story is initially met with disbelief, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426…and this time it’s war!
This is Aliens. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading, buy this release, and correct one of the biggest mistakes you’ve made. For everyone else, I won’t waste too much time dissecting the film. Aliens is sci-fi action at its best, permeated with the horror of H. R. Giger’s most famous creation. Bravado turns into a scramble for survival. An intense, visceral experience with incredible action is married to special effects that in some ways have never been surpassed.
The film is rooted by the smart, genre-defining performance by Sigourney Weaver; everything hangs off her. But the entire ensemble is fantastic, reeling off their immensely quotable lines, inhabiting characters that we’ve come to love and hate. Paul Reiser’s Burke is the epitome of cinematic douchery. Suffice to say, the film remains as tense, exciting, and genre-defining as the day it was released.
THE PACKAGE
The film looks as great as it has done the past few Blu-ray releases. Detail is sharp, contrast and blacks are superb, both crucially important with the aesthetic of Aliens. There are parts where digital cleanup is a little more apparent than others, but overall the transfer is impressive.
The release contains both the original 1986 theatrical edition and the 1991 Special Edition release. Often a rerelease/director’s cut just pads a few things out, but the ’91 Special Edition genuinely helps flesh out Ripley and heaps further tension into proceedings. As James Cameron notes in his introduction to the SE, it contains “40 more miles of bad road” and is the “ride he intended you to take.”
Special features include the deleted scenes that were reintegrated for the special edition. There’s a little redundancy there, but I guess it’s nice to have the option. There are also some really remarkable commentaries, the first paying attention to James Horner’s exceptional score. You can listen to it as an isolated soundtrack in two ways; first as the final theatrical score (’86 version only), or as the composer’s original isolated score, i.e before it was edited in post-production. Either way, it’s wonderful.
There is also a film commentary, bringing together director James Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, Alien effects creator Stan Winston, visual effects supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, miniature effects supervisor Pat McClung, and actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn, and Christopher Henn. A smorgasbord of talent provides a commentary brimming with insight.
There are a number of other special features, galleries, behind the scenes featurettes, etc., which are all accessible via MU-TH-UR. It’s a interactive mode that can be enabled during playback, showing special features pertinent to moments in the film. It’s executed nicely, but it would have been nice to have access to these features outside the main movie. A new special addition for this release is The Inspiration and Design of Aliens. It’s entertaining enough and it’s always welcome to see Giger get his dues; the one issue is that this feature is only included as a digital download, it is not on the physical disc itself. The release also includes a code for a digital download of the full movie.
The release does come bundled with a few physical extras. The movie and a additional folder are housed in a quality slipcase. Inside the folder are 10 collectible art cards and a booklet compiling artwork from the Dark Horse Aliens comic series. They’re of decent quality and their appeal will depend on your own tastes.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you already have Aliens on Blu-ray, there’s nothing really new here that would be an “upgrade.” If you don’t, this release is a no brainer featuring both versions of the film and solid extras, all in a handsome package. Aliens is an unrelenting combination of horror and action that remains unsurpassed even 30 years later, and this Blu-ray is a great way to revisit it.
Aliens: 30th Anniversary Edition is available on Blu-ray and digital HD from September 13th.
ALIENS: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Celebrate three decades of pulse-pounding action and bone-chilling suspense with this Aliens 30th Anniversary Limited-Edition Set that features both the Theatrical and Special Edition versions of the film on Blu-ray™, as well as audio commentary, deleted and extended scenes and more. This must-have set also includes collectible art cards, and a book featuring art from the Dark Horse Comics Aliens series with an all-new cover created exclusively for this 30th Anniversary Edition. The Blu-ray and Digital HD release will include an all-new, documentary titled “The Inspiration and Design of Aliens,” which delves into the origins of the film.